The Dawn: The Bombs Fall (A Dystopian Science Fiction Series) (12 page)

“Take it,” Zack said, and without a
second thought Leonard pulled the plate towards him and finished it off in four
gigantic mouthfuls. Leonard held up the small water ration out of courtesy to
enquire if Zack wanted it or not. Zack waved his hand to surrender it and
Leonard knocked it back like a Russian would vodka. Zack could see that Leonard
kept checking his wrist, rubbing at the number with his left hand, clearing any
debris or dust that might somehow impair his chances. Zack was sure that his
number was worthless, nothing more than an out of date ticket. He guessed that sometimes
in ignorance, hope could live on as brightly as a rainbow after the early
spring rains.

There were people still filing in, some
just realising that the lottery was starting. The queue for food had become madness
because even the servers were distracted. Zack turned around in time to see
somebody land a fist in the cheek of another citizen. It took only a second for
two Guardians to step in, and with the help of their Assisters they brought the
situation under control for the benefit of all citizens. The Second Creed. All
citizens of New Omega have the right to live safely without fear or threat. Threats
from the Guardians didn't count.

“That's his chances shot,” said
Leonard as both he and Zack turned away just as the Guardians dragged away the
assailant. Zack wondered if he could really be held responsible for his crime. Surely
the crime was attributable to Omega. For a moment he felt the hatred rise up
and push the butterflies of excitement aside as he remembered how much he despised
Omega for being everything he craved and everything he didn't have. But being
on their team was better than being their opponent, and the hopes soon
resurfaced along with the same tingling in his fingers as his heart started to
gallop.

The television screens went black as
the final advert was cut short. There was no time left. Within minutes there
would be another New Omega Lottery Winner. Zack tucked his hands into his lap,
pushing up his right sleeve with the stained thumb of his left hand. Eight. Six.
Five. Two.

In the final moments before the programme
began he imagined the smell of ice cream as it melted on a summer’s day, the
sensation of grass crumpled beneath the bare sole of his foot. The warmth of a
bed, the embrace of a partner, of Samantha, and of the child that they should
have been raising. He would have done it. He wouldn't have failed her. He would
have put things right, right? In the vision of his mind he saw his son,
somewhere between six and ten years old blowing out the candles on an oversized
birthday cake. There were presents at his feet and Samantha was crying happy
tears with her forehead nuzzled into his jaw line, her lips kissing him and
whispering thank you for a wonderful life.

Just before he heard the music begin,
he allowed himself to dream that he deserved another chance.

Hello and good evening to each and
every one of you out there. We are only moments away from revealing the lucky
winner of tonight's New Omega Lottery. Tonight, one of you will trade your life
and become the future of our world. Tonight, you will be sleeping in Omega. Yes,
that’s right people, tonight it could be you!

The crowds of Omega citizens sat in
organised rows watching Daley Cartwell. He was wearing a green suit, his hair shinier
than a black diamond. His smile was wider and whiter than a Himalayan crevasse.
There were no Guardians that Zack could see, although it could be hard to spot
them because everybody was wearing white. Only the children were wearing
colour, the bright dresses and shirts interwoven through the crowds like a
ribbon in a braid of hair. An audience waiting to see the latest recruit. Each
time Daley Cartwell stopped talking, they began applauding. Rows and rows of
clean white uniforms, freshly laundered and pressed, like the smell of grass
after rain.

We have been preparing all week and
the whole community is waiting to welcome you. The machine is ready. The
numbers are ready. Your room is ready. We, your fellow citizens, are ready.

Daley Cartwell cast his eyes down,
the microphone pressed against his chin underneath his lip.

We are ready to welcome you,
he said as the cameras
zoomed in for a close up
. Together we will help you become a citizen of
Omega Tower, to live once again with freedom, to play your part in rebuilding
our world so that all, and each, and every one of you will once again live as
free men and women!

Daley Cartwell flung a triumphant
hand in the air which initiated rapturous applause from the crowd. The cameras
panned across the rows of spectators who were nodding and celebrating the
arrival of a stranger as if their own freedoms would somehow be that much
sweeter by welcoming a new resident into Omega Tower. Zack could see the
important faces sitting high up above the crowds. The camera zoomed in for a close
up of President Grayson dressed in his official uniform, issued by The
Republic. He was a president for which nobody Zack knew had voted. He nodded
his head as if to confirm the value of this moment, the months and years of
work that had gone into opening this one place in Omega. It seemed that in
Omega they too might be watching the large screens, because when the
president's face came into view the cheering intensified in Omega Tower. A few
people in Delta also applauded. A couple cheered. Leonard reached over and
squeezed Zack’s arm and they both felt the tension. A woman close to the
largest television jumped up from the crowd and threw a chunk of unleavened
bread at the screen. The Guardians inched in but another two Delta residents
wrestled her down into the crowd. People tutted at the inconvenience and the
Guardians were kept back. Outbursts would not be tolerated tonight. Not by
anybody.

Daley Cartwell was standing at the
side of another large screen towards the back of his stage. The stage was lit
by concentric rings of lights on the floor as if he was literally walking
across the stars. The screen was playing images of Omega citizens walking with
a purpose but without a destination. Next they were sitting in libraries
reading books as if they had cause to learn. Images of thinking and working and
hardship that were nothing more than a pathetic facade of real life. Zack knew
this because he knew that every other tower was responsible for providing what
they needed. Omega didn't work for anything. Zack could imagine the next
generations of Omega citizens born into a life of privilege. It would be even
worse then.

Here in Omega we are rebuilding. Every
day is a challenge to reconstruct our society as we once knew it. To build a
life again for us all to enjoy. Here in Omega we do not seek exclusivity. We
are not working for ourselves. We do not sit here in an ivory tower on our
laurels whilst you toil in less than perfect conditions.

Daley Cartwell said this with one
eyebrow raised and with his tongue sticking into his cheek as if he was in on
the joke of what the other towers thought about Omega residents. As if he was
saying,
we know what you think about us, but it doesn't matter. We
understand. We forgive you.
The camera cut to the crowd and some of them
were laughing.
We are working, as one, for you,
he continued
.

More applause. Cheering on Delta
level twenty five.

We are here tonight not to celebrate
what we have achieved to date. We are here, one and all, to celebrate our
ability to welcome another citizen, to open our doors and say that this place
is your new home. Tonight we celebrate our opportunity to grow in strength, to
accept another member into our arms and build our team so that we can fight
even harder to rebuild the world for us all. So let’s not delay, let us begin. Let
us begin the search for a new citizen of Omega Tower. Let us grow in strength. Let
us build a better future. Your future.

Quiet. So quiet that Zack could hear
breathing all around him. Maybe it was just his own.

Daley Cartwell held up a finger,
pointed it in the direction of every set of eyes on Delta level twenty five,
and Zack imagined, every set of eyes in New Omega outside the ivory tower. He
was looking at each and every one of them.

Let us find you.

The numbers on Zack's wrist felt hot
with excitement, so much so that they were pulsating. There were deep breaths coming
from left and right as if the whole room had been gripped in a meditative
state, broken only as the next set of adverts kicked in. Blood transfusions. Special
offer, now only eighty credits. Scabies treatment, fifteen credits, also
reduced. They know there will be disappointments. People had to fall back into
reality but Omega knew how to cushion the blow.

Can you tell us what this lottery
meant to you?
Daley Cartwell was talking again, leaning in close to a healthy looking
woman, his forehead almost resting against the side of her temple in sympathy for
the horror that he was asking her to recall.
In your own words.

Everybody focussed again. The
commercials were over.

Yes, Daley. Before, life was very
hard in Alpha Tower. Some days there was no food. When my number was drawn out,
I knew I was being given an opportunity to help my people, to help them grow,
and to provide for their future. I have worked to help improve the food
supplies for all towers. My Tower is still my responsibility.

Controlled applause in Omega. Silence
in Delta, save the occasional late comer still shuffling into the room at the
back. A few people were confused, trying to remember if the food had ever been
worse. More music. Most of the Omega crowd looked on with smug half smiles. Zack
saw one of them wipe away a tear. The camera paid her particular attention.

And you, fellow citizen.
Daley Cartwell worked his
way along the five previous winners on the stage. A man, big and strong,
healthy looking in a way that didn't seem normal to Zack anymore.
Can you
tell us what being selected means to you?

“I wish they would just get on and
announce it,” Leonard said as he stuffed the last chunk of bread into his
mouth. “I can’t take this much longer.” He scratched at his armpits, and Zack
inched away.

Yes, Daley. Gamma isn't able to
produce much for themselves that benefits the residents directly, and we were a
small tower with little space for comfort. There was almost no privacy. This
made rationing a complicated matter. Because of Omega I have been able to play
my part in resolving this issue. My Tower is still my responsibility.

Zack noticed that both of the
previous winners had excellent teeth. They smiled from atop a special platform
which seemed to house all five previous winners. Each of them was smiling,
except for when one of them spoke. When they spoke it was always about the
difficulty of their old life in their old tower. Nobody in Delta knew what
having a winner felt like. Would it really mean improved conditions for the rest
of the tower?

“I’d improve the clothes,” said Zack.
“It gets so cold in here because it’s huge, and nobody has enough to wear. Nothing
fancy, I don’t mean for us all to look like Omega.”

“I’d give everybody scabies
treatment,” said Leonard, still scratching. “And there is no point looking at
me like that, or moving further away. If I’ve got it, you’ve got it too.”

Next they showed the room. All white.
It was large in comparison to anything in Delta, white, clean walls with not a
mark on them, and a whole wall of windows. Zack saw the new sky programme
playing. It was a clear night sky, full of stars. They twinkled like sun
drenched diamonds refracting light in a million directions. Zack allowed
himself a wish, even though he knew they weren’t real. The bed was a large single,
wider than his. The mattress looked plump and there was a bag of linen at the
end of the bed.

This is where our winner will sleep,
but not before spending time in our state of the art health facility, where he
or she will receive a full medical and dental appraisal, all with the full compliments
of our great president.

The cameras cut to President Grayson again.
He was sitting with a humble look on his face, his eyes downcast and lips
pursed together. The excitement of the crowd intensified in both Omega and
Delta towers when he appeared on the screen. Zack was distracted by Leonard's
continued irritations with his skin. He had started scratching at his ribs
again. Intermittently he would stop, stare at the wrist of his right hand to
look at his numbers. Zack could see his lips moving, mouthing them over and
over as if in a moment of silent prayer. As Zack looked around the room he
could see lots of people checking their wrists as if they didn’t already know
their numbers off by heart. He thought of Ronson, in his bar none the wiser
about what was happening above ground. If Zack won tonight he would be unlikely
to ever see him again, and it made him regret that he hadn't offered him more
the last time they were together.

Ladies and gentlemen, there is no
more time for delay. The lottery of the people is coming to you tonight. Tonight
one of you becomes the future. You become your neighbour’s future. One of you
becomes the winner. Let’s make that happen, right here, right now!

Zack was near-deafened by applause so
loud that nobody could hear their nearest neighbour. Zack was on his feet
cheering, throwing off whoops and yeahs in all directions, celebrating with
people at his side and behind him who he had never met before. Somebody was
rubbing his shoulder. The crowd was energised, smashing into each other like charged
atomic particles. Fusion. That's what happened the last time the world ended. A
few people began to sit, others remained standing. It took a while for Zack to
take his seat on the bench, and next to him Leonard still looked like he was
praying. His hands were clasped together, knuckles white, jaw tight and set in
place. It seemed like the organisers of the lottery and the citizens of Omega
must have expected the commotion because when the din finally passed and people
sat in their seats, the programme didn’t appear to have moved on at all.